Center helps win regulatory exemptions for textiles

A Hickory-based center that helps the U.S. hosiery industry compete in a global environment played a key role in getting hosiery and textiles makers exempted from federal regulations requiring that products for children be tested for lead content.

Dan St. Louis, director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center and its Hosiery Technology Center, said the exemption will save the hosiery and apparel industries millions of dollars in testing and compliance costs.

"If the law had gone into effect as written, it would have essentially put those industries out of business," St. Louis said.

The data and research results presented by St. Louis to the Consumer Product Safety Commission helped convince commissioners that socks and hosiery products pose little to no risks with lead content. Essentially, textiles and hosiery are lead-free, the Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded in August.

When the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulations were rolled out in August 2008, retailers reacted by demanding hosiery and apparel vendors with products for children younger than 12 spell out how they would comply with the regulations. Manufacturers concluded they were facing a crisis.

The concern over products with lead for children was prompted by painted toys imported from China.

The CPSIA testing and compliance mandates encompassed furniture, accessories, jewelry, and a wide assortment of articles used or worn by children.

The campaign to exempt hosiery and textiles brought together professional trade associations, retailers and research laboratories. Among the participants were the American Apparel and Footwear Association, The Hosiery Association, the National Cotton Council, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Made in America coalition of family-owned companies, and senior executives with Wal-Mart, JC Penney and several specialty retail chains.

The Hosiery Technology Center was thrust into a pivotal role, using detailed research data to substantiate the industry's argument that lead is not present in socks, hosiery and apparel.

St. Louis turned to Professor Kim Browning in the chemistry laboratory at Catawba Valley Community College and Monica Wise, special project coordinator at the hosiery center, for a creative approach to the documentation.

Browning developed a dye that contained large amounts of lead. The purpose was to prove that lead-based dyes are expensive and are not colorfast. No manufacturer would be tempted to even consider such a dye, Browning said. The commission was impressed.

The yearlong campaign involved Jim Schollaert, Washington lobbyist for Made in America; other representatives for trade associations; and the North Carolina congressional delegation of two senators and 13 House members.

With Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte taking the lead, 14 members of the delegation signed a July 14, 2009, letter to the CPSC commissioners to expedite "official recognition of your staff's conclusion that unembellished dyed and undyed textile products, including socks and hosiery" do not contain lead. The lawmakers also asked the CPSC to "make allowances under the law to permit producers and importers to ensure compliance without suffering unnecessary burdens."

Lobbying efforts came from several parties. The Hosiery Association, representing the nation's largest hosiery marketers and manufacturers, pushed for exemption with the help of Washington-based lobbyists.

Schollaert, a veteran in Capitol Hill and federal agency politics, said the language of the law "caused a lot of unnecessary heartburn, but we got it worked out."

Schollaert said the CPSC also has agreed the existing labels on socks can serve as the mandated "tracking label" as long as the identity of the manufacturer is included.

"There was an army of folks presenting arguments to the CPSC which has a small staff," Schollaert said.

"A lot of time was spent on this, and a lot of the problems we faced were caused by stringent demands from retailers and their customers who did not understand the issues," he said.

Schollaert said imported socks will have to go through U.S. Customs checkpoints, and some labels could be found not to have adequate tracking information.

A strong advocate for rebuilding domestic hosiery manufacturing, Schollaert said he thinks the Obama administration's recent restrictions on rubber tires from China is an encouraging sign that imports will face more scrutiny.